UPS and GLS have been rated the best CEP operators in Germany in an in-depth survey of salesperformance. Hermes and Trans-o-flex came bottom of the list of seven leading carriers which also
included DHL, DPD and TNT.The survey by Wiesbaden-based consultancy Marketing Partner compared and evaluated the carriers’entire offer process from initial customer contact, advice and offer through to reliable timing andthe length of the whole offer phase. The survey was based on a concrete enquiry for a complexlogistics outsourcing contract involving more than 50,000 shipments per year.
UPS and GLS each scored 25 points out of a maximum of 40 points, followed by TNT (20), DHL (18)and DPD (15). Hermes and Trans-o-flex did not make an offer, and thus came bottom with zero points,Marketing Partner said in a statement. FedEx was not included due to its focus on internationalexpress.
Problems emerged with the initial customer contact. It took five calls to DHL before a competentperson was available. UPS insisted on an online registration before dealing with the enquiry.Hermes call centre staff were unable to cope with the complexity of the enquiry and did not make anoffer. In contrast, GLS immediately made a personal appointment with an account executive.
Customer advice standards ranged from in-depth and individual consulting from UPS and DHL, andstandardised offers with no reference to customer needs from others. The customer’s impression wasthat carriers were generally more interested in meeting sales targets than offering services basedon customer needs.
Only DHL and TNT then made their offer within the deadline, and all offers were incomplete insome way and insufficiently focused on the customer’s requirements. In all, GLS and UPS took threeweeks for the whole offer process, while DHL needed five weeks.
“The results show that none of the providers made a convincing impression with their service,”commented Harald Werner, Marketing Partner manager. All of the seven CEP operators had weaknessesin some part of the sales process, particularly in terms of making a customised offer.
